Last night I watched an older episode of one of my favorite shows: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The main topic was the amount of food wasted in the US. It's disturbing! Most times, things are wasted due to the way they look. They aren't considered 'pretty' enough to be on the shelf at the supermarket so they're left on the ground to rot or thrown into the garbage. The perfect peach tastes JUST as juicy as the one that looks a little wonky, right?
Well, the same goes for handmade art pieces.
When you see a necklace that doesn't have the perfect pattern of beads on either side of the clasp - it's ok. That means a person actually sat and strung that jewelry by hand and it wasn't done by a machine. Humans are imperfect beings and therefore we sometimes create imperfect art! But that's the beauty of it.
Another thing to consider is how artists price their items and why they may be a little more expensive than Walmart or TJ Maxx. Remember, they put their time and effort into each piece made for purchase. They may have spent time away from their family, stayed up late to finish a custom piece or even took such pride in their work that they completely started the artwork over because they weren't happy with it. You won't get that type of commitment and heart out of a machine making something in a factory somewhere.
I'm often told that the prices of the items in my shop are either very reasonable or even too low. I'm told "If you were in Mystic, you could charge double!" That may be true but that's not what we're about at Small Potatoes. We want everyone to be able to enjoy purchasing a handmade gift no matter their budget. The artists that are selected for our shop are more concerned with pricing their work in an affordable way so that it is purchased and enjoyed; not so it sits on the shelf in the shop and collects dust!
So, the next time you find yourself in need of some produce - grab the ugly one. And when you need to buy a gift, buy from someone who made it with their own two hands. It will make a world of difference.
